


Webs in the Moonlight

by gaymerkree



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon Typical Violence, F/F, inspired by twitter user tovanori's art, slowly developing spider powers, spider-man au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:08:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27641174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaymerkree/pseuds/gaymerkree
Summary: Something about being a hero put a bad taste in her mouth. How was she, Cassandra, local cafe barista with a crush on the plucky news reporter, worthy of the status of hero? Either way, she's stuck with an overzealous technician with a penchant for making crazy gadgets, so she might as well try to steal some hearts while she's at it. Or maybe just one heart.
Relationships: Cassandra/Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 100
Kudos: 269





	1. Fractures

**Author's Note:**

> What's up I'm diving into tangled now what of it. As I said in the tags this was inspired by the beautiful artwork from twitter user @tovanori, please check it out and give them some love: https://twitter.com/tovanori/status/1328430705680912384?s=20
> 
> As a comic book nerd, I felt it was my duty to write something for this, and go figure of course it would be spiderman related. Either way, I hope you enjoy, and please leave a comment with what you think!

**CHAPTER ONE**

_Feeding frenzy is in my brain_ _  
_ _I'm hopeful every day_ _  
_ _I gotta get it while we are still young enough to break_ _  
_ _We're finally not afraid_

Fractures  by Illenium (feat Nevve)

Big cities like Corona don’t come along every day. They grow through hard work and perseverance, built on the backs of the little people. With that growth comes hardships and pain, but also _music_. Music and art and all the other shit that coffee shops fuel and nourish. That’s why at the age of twenty-six, Cassandra still worked at the small coffee shop in the center of downtown Corona. The customers were a flavorful mix of vibrant colors and cultures, that brought light to the day, but like any job, there were also ass holes. Her current ass hole, a haughty man a few years older than her with a man bun and the attitude of someone who had been wronged his entire life. Cass doubted that entirely. 

The man who gave his name as _Andrew_ , continued his, now going on fifteen-minute rant, about how his coffee had been made wrong, missing one ingredient or another. She resists rolling her eyes as he gestures with a flourish towards the only other worker in the shop at seven in the morning on a Wednesday. The young teen slouches as he bustles around the small shop, desperate to fix his mistake and get the man out the door. 

“Sorry, sir here’s your drink!” Varian squeaks out, pushing the large beverage across the warm wood counter.

“You should be!” The man growls, turning to storm out of the building. He pauses at the door to wink in Cassandra’s direction, “See you tomorrow Cassie.”

As the door swings shut Cassandra feigns a gagging noise in Varian’s direction, and the teen barks out a nervous laugh. “ _Cassie_. Dude has issues man.” 

“Haha… Yeah. Who would ever call _you_ ‘Cassie’ without permission?” The implication makes Cassandra laugh again as she ruffles the teen’s perpetually messy hair.

“We’re over that now kiddo.”

The sun shimmers brightly as it rises above the horizon, signaling the start of the true morning rush, and Cassandra moves towards the expresso machine to start one of their usual big orders. Like clockwork the store phone rings and Varian answers. He doesn’t bother writing anything down, only taking the time to read a laminated paper tucked by the phone.

“The usual, but your blonde wants a blonde blend today.” He says with a good-natured laugh, moving to fold out two drink carriers. 

Cassandra ignores the comment, only flushing slightly as she continues preparing drinks. As they’re completed she writes the usual names on the cups and passes them to Varian who places them into the drink carriers with delicate care. Those carriers are then placed into a lightly padded and insulated box that is closed with the same amount of conscious care.

“Feldspar will be here soon to help cover.” It’s a wordless agreement that Cassandra will be the one to deliver the beverages. Though she trusted Varian on her moped, the daily trip across town was the highlight of her day, though she’d never admit it. 

* * *

It takes twenty minutes to get across town on a good day. Luckily the customized helmet Varian made for her helped Cass pass the time quickly. Her little moped scooted through most busy intersections and across crosswalks easily, cutting what would be a thirty to forty-minute drive in a larger vehicle. 

The looming building of _Sunlight Publications Inc._ comes into view and Cassandra signals to turn into the busy nearby parking structure. There’s a small section of delivery parking just past the handicapped spots she pulls into easily. A familiar security guard, a burly joyful fellow named Lance, waves her in and passes her usual temporary badge across the desk. A short elevator ride up six stories, and she finds the office of the pride and joy of the good old SPI; _Sundrop Weekly_. The most popular newspaper-slash-news blog in the city, run and managed by the most well-known family.

At her entrance, Cassandra is met with a chorus of cheerful hellos, and she walks through the isles to drop off everyone’s usual coffees. She saves the best for last and turns towards the office of one Rapunzel C. photographer and investigative journalist of the publication. She delivers a quiet knock to the frosted glass, and the door whirls open. Rapunzel emerges with her usual bright smile, smelling of lavender and flowers, with her long golden hair wrapped in a loose braid.

“ _Cass!_ ” She cheers softly, reaching to take her coffee from the taller woman’s hands. “Right on time as usual!” Everything she says feels like direct sunlight to Cassandra’s chest, something nestled deep between her ribs that radiates warmth. 

“If I wasn’t they’d fire me.” She replies, trying to come off less uninterested and more nonchalant. 

“I doubt it! What would they do without you to keep everything together?” The sun blooms again behind fragile ribs, and Cass feels the need to pull off her light coat with the warmth that spreads through her. Rapunzel looks like she has more to say. Like she wants to keep Cass there just a little longer, but something dings in her office and she takes a step back. “You made it right?” She says softly, gesturing to her coffee, and Cassandra nods.

“Always do.” Joy erupts across rosy, freckled cheeks, and Rapunzel reaches a hand out to lightly touch Cassandra’s arm. 

“Then today will be incredible. Thank you.” With that, she waves goodbye and returns to her office computer. 

The usual daze from Raspunzel’s sunlight lasts the ride back to the coffee shop. Cassandra moves as if in a haze, content with the lasting warmth from that delicate touch. When she crosses the threshold of the bustling coffee shop her peace is shattered by another set of angry customers, both looming over the remaining two employees. With a sigh, she returns behind the counter and takes over for the middle-aged man and her teenage companion. 

* * *

Several hours later both Cassandra and Varian are released from their corporate prisons. Cassandra climbs atop her moped and gestures for Varian to follow. “Hop on kid I’ll give you a ride.” It’s their usual arrangement, despite the way she says it, so Varian hops on and the vehicle rumbles to life. Varian lives more towards the suburbs, but the ride from the coffee shop is short and sweet in the early evening. 

“Hey so- Can I show you my newest project real quick?” Through heavy wind, Cass picks up Varian’s hopeful tone and rolls her eyes.

“Sure Var.”

Fifteen minutes later and Cass pulls into the driveway of Varian’s quaint suburban home. The porch light flickers to life as his father, Quirin, emerges from the front door. He waves to his son and offers Cassandra a soft smile.

“Right on time as usual.” He comments happily, “Varian, dinner is in the microwave; There’s enough for you as well Cassandra.” He offers her another thankful smile and lays his hand on Varian’s shoulder. “I’ll be home around five.” With that, he climbs into his worn old truck and begins his trek to work across town. 

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” Varian shifts onto his tiptoes, his tone is hopeful.

“And turn down your dad’s cooking? Never.”

* * *

With dinner reheated, Varian and Cass station in the teen’s cluttered garage. Cass enjoys the plate of well-made rigatoni in meat sauce and watches him shuffle through machinery. The cleanest part of the garage is his workbench, littered with flasks and beakers of different sizes and colors. Varian shuffles between two equally large piles before dropping two items onto the workbench, causing the vials to shutter.

“I’m working on a new engine for your moped! This will make her go faster, and run on vegetable oil.” As he speaks he moves his hands wildly, gesturing towards the bits of machinery. “This one is more for my dad.” The small mechanism looks almost like a watch without a face. It’s completely metal, formatted in the same way a watchband might be, but as Cass holds it she realizes there’s a small lever attached to the centerpiece. Carefully she slips the device on and points it towards Varian’s back. “He’s always talking about the kids that sneak into the facility, and he can’t catch them when they- Woah!”

As Varian turns around Cass presses the lever and releases a string of what looks like white rope towards the teen. Shocked, she jumps back and watches as Varian is struck into one of his work-in-progress piles. The pile doesn’t explode as expected. Instead, Varian rolls into the opposite wall, stuck to most of the devices, and the wall. “Oh shit!” Cass rushes forward, to try to help, but hovers just out of reach of the sticky mess of child and possibly dangerous devices. “Var are you alright? Shit! I’m so sorry!”

“I’m fine! I’m fine! It’s a device used to catch criminals, luckily I already have a solvent for the solution.” Varian huffs, trying to wriggle off the wall but after a few tries and Cassandra nearly laughing at him he sighs. “There’s a spray bottle over there. It’s blue. That’s the solvent.” Cassandra rushes back to the workbench, shuffling around vials and various chemicals to locate the spray bottle in question. She finds it tucked behind a bottle of bleach and a mysterious green liquid that smelt of blueberries that she’d rather not know about. 

Returning to Varian, she presents the spray bottle awkwardly. “This?”

“Yes! Yes, that! Just spray it on me, it’s not harmful.” So she does. Cassandra watches in awe as the now solid white material slowly disintegrates, freeing Varian and his conglomerate of devices. 

“Damn Var, that’s some strong goo.” The teen laughs, brushing himself off as he removes the device from Cassandra’s wrist.

“You have no idea. Watch this.” He slips the device on and holds the lever pointing straight up. The solution shoots from the device to the ceiling of the garage, splattering, while still attached to the mechanism. “It’s so strong it could hold my weight and yours. It’s designed to hold up more weight than my dad.” As he finishes his sentence he jumps, grabbing hold of the rope. He doesn’t fall. Instead, he swings lightly, and the ceiling creeks, but the solid solution doesn’t waver. “You give it a try!”

Nervously, Cassandra takes the device, still attached to the ceiling, from Varian’s hand. She doesn’t bother securing it but wraps the cord around her hand before jumping. She’s older, taller, and obviously weighs more, but the solution holds strong. 

She releases a bark of a laugh before letting go and landing softly on the ground. “Not bad kiddo.” Varian flushes as she ruffles his hair again, and returns to her pasta. Varian busies himself with cleaning the disheveled pile of machines, and Cassandra leans against the edge of his workbench. The desk, however, had not been designed to hold up her weight from that angle, and after settling there she hears a soft creak. 

“What the-” The workbench crumbles under the weight, and Cass plummets to the ground into a pile of particle board and chemicals.

“Shit!” Varian is at her side in seconds, tugging her out of the mess and into the center of the garage where he hoses her down with a prepared water hose from the yard. “Are you okay Cass?” 

Cassandra, wet and angry, pushes curly black hair out of her eyes. “Perfect now.” She growls, shaking off more water from her clothes. There’s a silence between them, stagnant and cold as the chill from the night drifts in. Cass shifts again and hisses in pain as she smacks her neck. When she pulls her hand back there’s a spider dead and stuck to her palm, but the color of the spider catches her off guard. It’s a bioluminescent blue, like those poisonous frogs from the rain forest, and it makes her skin crawl. “Uh, Var?” The teen moves closer, still cautious of his angry friend. “You know anything about neon blue spiders?”

They examine the dead creature for a moment before Varian shuffles to his scattered workbench and retrieves a miraculously solid beaker. Cassandra drops the arachnid into the empty beaker and they both watch it’s dead body cautiously. “Did it bite you?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Varian shifts to look at her neck and Cass crouches so he has a better view.

“Does it feel weird or anything? Like does it itch?” He pokes the raised skin and Cass hisses again.

“Only when you touch it apparently!” 

Bashfully, Varian steps back. “Maybe we should get you to the doctors?”

With a shrug, Cassandra rubs the sore spot self-consciously. “I will if it starts feeling weird. For now, I think I’m going to head home.”

She’s still dripping wet from the hose, and Varian looks embarrassed again. “Let me get you some dry clothes, and I’ll wash those for you.”

“Don’t worry about it. They’ll dry on the ride home. It’s not too cold tonight.” Cassandra heads home, music blaring in her helmet.

The evening had been something of a disaster, but she appreciated her time with Varian. The kid was in that awkward teen phase where friends were few and far between, and it didn’t help that he was already in college classes. At first, she had felt sorry for him and only really spent time with him out of pity, but the teen showed her that he wasn’t just an annoying kid with a crush. He was smart past books, machines, and chemicals. Varian was a good kid who was maybe a little lonely, but he knew how to make Cass laugh when she was having a bad day. Somehow he had quickly become a close friend of Cassandra’s, though she might never say it. 

* * *

_Castle Hills Apartments_ were some of the nicest apartments in the city, but that didn’t mean as much as it should. They were on the pricier side, but they had on-site security and temperature-controlled garages, so Cass wouldn’t complain too much. She takes the elevator up to the fourth floor and squeaks towards apartment four-oh-two. The door opens to the dimmed living room and her father’s sleeping form. She shakes her head, shuffling upstairs and into her room where she showers and changes into dry pajamas. 

Before bed, she descends the stairs again to grab herself a glass of water and stops to cover her father with a blanket from a nearby linen closet. The older man grumbles in his sleep, rolling towards the back of the couch, snuggling into the warmth. Cassandra shakes her head with a small laugh, returning to her original task. 

She settles into bed shortly thereafter, content with the sounds of the city to lull her to sleep.

* * *

The next morning hits her like a truck. Cassandra wakes to the sound of her alarm, but her whole body feels heavy. She feels like she’s falling up, but her back is pressed into something harder than her mattress should be. Thinking she’d fallen onto the ground from a fitful sleep she tries to push off from the floor and finds it more difficult than it should be. As she opens her eyes she gasps. What she sees isn’t the ceiling of her bedroom, but the _floor_ . She’s looking at the floor _from_ the ceiling, and everything in her seizes up. 

All at once, her chest is on fire with panic. Fear fills her lungs like water and she can’t move. Like her body is made of lead. As the panic fades she stays secured to the ceiling, never moving more towards the ground. As the fear fades she assesses her position. She’s sticking to the ceiling by her legs and arms, but not her torso, which is covered by a baggy t-shirt. Experimentally she flexes her fingers and is able to pull the appendage away. She does the same with her other arm and manages to stick only by her legs and feet. Shifting her body she places her hands flat on the ceiling, testing the strength of whatever holds her there, and it holds her weight easily. She follows the same method to unstick her legs and is able to position herself so she is hanging by her hands and feet in a crawling motion above her bed. 

Now in a position that made for easy movement, she crawls down from the ceiling, landing with a light _unf_ on the carpeted floor. Immediately she rushes for her cellphone and dials the only person that could possibly help her. The phone rings three times before a groggy voice answers faintly. “Hello?”

“Varian. Listen. I need you to get to my house _right now_.” Her voice is edging towards frantic, and the teen on the other end struggles to clear his head.

“Cass are you okay?”

“Just get here Var, We might have a problem.”


	2. Thank You Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I know you can’t. Because of your record, and because of your dad, but this could be the same thing, just around the law.”  
> “That’s called being a vigilante, which is illegal.” She crosses her arms, still able to move freely with the gadgets attached to her.  
> “Semantics.” He scoffs, waving a hand between them, “They let that ice-woman in Arendale-”  
> “The Nokk is different,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad the first chapter got so much good feedback! I officially finished all the DLC from Spiderman PS4 and started Miles Morales so don't expect chapters to stop any time soon. 
> 
> Twitter user @tovanori struck again with some beautiful artwork, this time of my au!! Please give it some love, and give them some love! https://twitter.com/tovanori/status/1330203052842823680?s=19
> 
> This chapter features another hero from the Disney universe, I'm sure you can all guess who. I might have more fun with things like that in the future.

**CHAPTER TWO**

_ You're always my plus one at a party when I didn't even invite you _ _   
_ _ And you keep me in the corner so I can't talk to anyone I'd like to _ _   
_ _ Always messin' with my head and tryna freak me out _ _   
_ _ Tell me that I should get up and leave right now _ _   
_ _ Man I wish you had a body 'cause if _ _   
_ _ You did you know that I, I would fight you _ _   
_ _ I'd prolly win too _

Thank you Anxiety by Avenue Beat

From downstairs Cassandra can hear the rustle of the front door opening and closing, followed by the stiff greeting her father delivers when Varian walks in. The teen makes his way upstairs, a light panicked trot that Cass is familiar with. Varian tumbles through the door with a yelp and looks around Cassandra’s room cautiously. 

“Cass?” He grips the strap of his messenger back tightly as he looks around the room. “Are you in here?”

“Varian, look up.” Her voice is just above a whisper, trying to keep the boy calm. “But don’t freak out.”

It takes the teen a moment to slowly shift his vision upward. As his eyes settle on Cass’ form, clinging effortlessly to the ceiling, his hands clap over his mouth in a desperate attempt to silence the startled scream that tries to come out. The result is a muffled squeal that brings a mirthful smile to Cassandra’s lips as she drops from the ceiling. 

“I said don’t freak out.” She says with a laugh as she ruffles his hair.

“What was I supposed to do!?” He yelps, voice high pitched in his shock. “You didn’t really tell me what to expect!”

Varian takes a few moments to catch his breath before he examines the room. There are no strings or a net, nothing that would have attached Cass to the ceiling. He moves one to Cass herself, no suction cups on her hands or back, just the scruffy adult in her t-shirt and pajama shorts. 

Familiar with his inquisitive side, Cass allows him to inspect the room with a smirk. The normalcy of the situation calms her, helps her keep her breathing under control. When Varian steps back, hand on his chin in that way he does, he gives the room another once over. 

“Okay, I’ll bite. How’d you do it?” Cass smirks again and takes a deep breath. With a low crouch, she jumps into a flip and sticks herself to the ceiling. It’s something she’d been practicing since calling Varian that morning, and she’d just perfected it upon his arrival. It wasn’t nearly as hard as it should have been. 

“I dunno, I just  _ can _ .” She releases her hands and lets herself hang from the ceiling by her feet looking down at Varian. “I woke up stuck to the ceiling, but once I calmed down it was relatively easy.” She mirrors him, hand on her chin.

Still deep in thought, Varian begins to pace. His tennis shoes tap in a steady beat as he moves from one side of the room to the other. “I wonder if this has to do with the chemicals that you fell into last night.” He murmurs lightly, “But that wouldn’t make sense, most of them were relatively benign on their own and only cause slight irritation together. Though I haven’t researched the effects they may have on a human when they’re all mixed together.” As he rambles his pace quickens and his tone lowers to a near whisper. “Ah-ha!” He announces with a flourish, rushing to a small desk at the other end of Cassandra’s room. 

“Ah-ha?” She mimics in confusion, following his path above him.

“ _ The spider _ .” It’s said with such conviction that Cass is almost  _ more _ confused. “The only thing unaccounted for is the spider! It had that weird coloring, right?” Cass nods as he pulls out a note pad and a pen from the desk drawer and begins to write out a list of chemicals, “The chemicals are relatively harmless to people, but depending on the kind of spider that bit you, it’s chemical makeup could have altered it’s venom into something more like a  _ super-serum _ when injected into humans!” He explains further, outlining the possible results each chemical could have on people versus spiders, but truth be told it all flies over her head. 

“So I’m like a superhero now?” Cass mumbles, thinking about the prospect lightly. (She wouldn’t deny the idea of saving a certain blonde from the clutches of an evil supervillain was rather appealing.}

“I think that’s more of a decision than a fact,” Varian says with a laugh, finishing off his outline and placing the pen atop the notepad. “The facts are; you have been granted  _ superpowers _ and can do with those as you will. For now, we should get to work.” 

The statement is like a cold bucket of water over Cassandra’s head. She’d completely forgot about work and the realization hits her so hard her feet un-stick from the ceiling and she crumbles shoulders first into the floor, missing Varian by half a foot. 

“Are you okay?”

“Just  _ fine _ , thank you.” It’s grumbled against the carpet, bitter with reality. “Get out so I can get ready.”

* * *

Fifteen minutes later she’s dressed and rushing out to her moped with Varian at her heels. The motor scooter is tucked into a garage just outside her apartment beside her father’s police car. She had sort of  _ shoved _ it in there last night, so it doesn’t slide right out when she tugs. It’s caught on some supplies stored on the wall of the garage, so her response is to lift the vehicle and angle it out of the garage. She expects to have a little difficulty hoisting the relatively weighty hunk of metal and machinery, however, she nearly throws the scooter across the parking lot. 

Her knee-jerk-reaction is to clutch the vehicle close to her chest, which results in her falling to the asphalt with a grunt. Varian stares wide-eyed from a few feet away, uncertain whether he wants to help or investigate further.

“Cass?” Silence settles between them, stagnant and heavy. “Are you-”

“No!” With a huff, Cass stands, pushing the vehicle off her lap. “I’m not okay Var!” She roars but lowers her voice when an older gentleman from across the parking lot looks their way. “I’m not okay!” She repeats much lower, “I have weird powers! I can crawl up walls! And apparently super strength!” 

“Actually, I think you just have the strength of a spider, proportionally speaking.” 

Cassandra’s shoulders drop as she lets out a haggard groan. “What the  _ fuck _ does that mean Var?”

“Spiders can lift up to one hundred and seventy times its own weight, meaning you can lift one hundred and seventy times your own weight.” He’s proud of himself as he finishes, flourishing a hand curled into a point towards the sky. Cass however seethes.

“So I’m freaky strong too. Fantastic.” She lifts her scooter again, throwing one leg over the seat and starting the motor. “Look- let’s just go.” Varian makes to say something else, but the tightness of Cassandra’s shoulders convinces him not to. Instead, he climbs onto the back of the moped and holds the older woman’s waist as they speed off.

* * *

They’re almost late, but at eight in the morning the only person there is kind old Uncle Monty, and he forgives them like always. He’s already set up the shop, letting the two friends scurry inside to begin their usual orders. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just Cassandra’s late start day, and Andrew saunters into the cafe with a slimy smile. He slithers across the counter, head propped up on tan hands as he smirks at Cassandra across the counter. “Good morning beautiful.” He coos, slick like sludge from thin lips and sharp teeth. “Can I get a usual?”

She wants to tell him that she doesn’t know, that he means so little to her that she can’t remember what the smarmy businessman orders on the daily, but  _ she does _ . If only for the fact that the snake of a man has been coming in every day for nearly three years now. With a roll of her eyes that he blissfully ignores, Cassandra makes the pretentious coffee and slides it across the counter as she snatches a credit card from his outstretched hand. 

“Someone’s in a prickly mood. I like it.” She resists the urge to roll her eyes again, still ringing up the man’s order as quickly as possible. 

“Had a bad morning.” She grumbles, handing him back his card and receipt. 

“I know what can fix that for you, dearest.” It’s a purr, something that tightens her muscles, and churns her stomach. “How about a date with me? Tonight you ditch the kiddo, and have me all to yourself?”

Behind her, Varian stumbles, sending a bucket of ice across the floor and over the counter, and Cass releases an exaggerated sigh. “Sorry  _ sir _ ,” she emphasizes it like she doesn’t know his name, despite his frequent visits. “I have a lot on my plate at the moment, and can’t really make those kinds of plans, please have a nice day.” She doesn’t wait for him to respond, immediately crouching below the counter to start helping Varian. 

“Coast is clear.” The teen announces a few minutes later, and Cass sighs out another deep breath.

“Thanks, Var. I don’t know why he hasn’t gotten the hint yet.” Varian shrugs, pulling out a long floor broom to clean the remainder of the ice. 

* * *

Thursdays are slow normally. Most businesses in the area are too distracted by the approaching end of the week to stop to grab a coffee in the late morning. Cassandra busies herself with the daily duties, and when they’re both done Varian fiddles with one gadget or another. 

“What’cha working on Var?” The teen hums, clicking the cover back over the small machine before handing it to his friend.

“That device from last night. I was thinking, the solution is very web-like, so if you decided to do anything with your new-” he gestures vaguely to Cass and she sighs with a nod. “It could work for you or something.” He shrugs, flushed, but doesn’t continue.

“To like what? Catch bad guys? That’s the police’s job.” She crosses her arms but takes the gadget and slides it onto her wrist. It’s a perfect fit, tucked just in the sleeve of her dark undershirt. She tests triggering the lever to shoot a web against the floor. It’s natural, curling her middle and ring finger inward to depress the cool metal. It shoots quick and the web holds steady, just as it did the night before, but as she looks at the solidified solution Varian places another on her other wrist. 

“Whip it out, and double-tap to release, then whip it out again.” He says softly, cautious with her already foul mood. 

“I don’t know if I can do this Var.” She sighs.

“You don’t have to.” His voice is stern but soft, as he steps away. “But you always wanted to stop bad guys.”

“Var-” It’s a gruff angry groan, “You know-”

“I know you can’t. Because of your record, and because of your dad, but this could be the same thing, just  _ around _ the law.”

“That’s called being a vigilante, which is illegal.” She crosses her arms, still able to move freely with the gadgets attached to her.

“Semantics.” He scoffs, waving a hand between them, “They let that ice-woman in Arendale-”

“The Nokk is  _ different, _ ” Cass grumbles, shifting away from the backroom into the shop propper. Varian shrugs, following his friend with a playful smile. 

“I bet if that pretty blonde woman from Sundrop needed saving-” Cass turns on him, flushed and angry, finger pointed like a knife under his chin. 

* * *

Cassandra leans against the back counter near the drive-thru window and nearly jumps when the phone rings. Breathless, she answers. “Moon-drop Cafe, Cass speaking.”

“Cass!?” The excited voice on the other line is unmistakable, sending Cassandra’s heart into overdrive as she sucks in a soft breath.

“Uh-Yeah. Raps?” Her response is a giggle, and Cassandra holds the old wired phone close to her face as she smiles.

“I don’t know why, but I didn’t think I’d get  _ you _ when I called.” It’s good-natured, made of sunlight and  _ spring _ that blooms in Cass’ throat. “I guess I expected you’d have something more important to do.” Cass feels like someone pumped helium into her lungs so she’s floating where she stands. 

“Nothing more important.” She whispers, but the sunny woman on the other line doesn’t quite hear it.

“So hey,” She chirps, a songbird fluttering on the breeze. “I know Moon-Drop doesn’t do single deliveries, and it’s later than normal but I started late today-”

“I’ll do it.” She turns away from Varian to hide the flush across pale cheeks. “I mean- I get it, I had a late start too.”

“Really?” Rapunzel cheers lightly on the other side of the line, giggling soft sunbeams onto Cassandra’s bad mood. 

“ _ Of course _ .” She tucks a dark curl behind her ear and smiles. She wasn’t expecting to see Raps today, but now that she will, sudden superpowers don’t feel as important. “What can I make you today?”

Another soft giggle flutters Cassandra’s heart again, making her take a deep breath. “I really liked the one you made yesterday.” She hums, “Maybe with caramel this time?”

“Sure! Be there soon!” Varian gives her a worried glance when the phone clicks to its hook and the woman cheers happily.

“It’s a little late for the Sundrop order.” He muses lightly, poised with his hand on his chin. 

“It’s just Raps, but that means it’ll be quick.” She’s tugging a hoodie over her apron as she makes her crush’s desired coffee. “I promise.” 

He looks worried but smiles shooing his friend towards the espresso machine. “Go get her tiger.”

* * *

Somehow the drive is much shorter than normal, and Cass arrives only fifteen minutes after taking the phone call. Nerves rattle her hands, ice-cold doubt, like shards of glass slither through her chest. The usual check-in, and a wave to Lance, before she’s in the elevator and up to Rapunzel’s floor. It’s around noon and half the office is out for lunch when she steps through the door with a single coffee in hand. The remaining staff watch her enter and walk directly towards familiar misted glass. 

A single knock has the door open and Rapunzel’s head peeks out. She looks confused but smiles slow and deliberate at Cassandra’s soft wave. She’s wearing a short-sleeved pink button-up and a black corset over a deep maroon skirt, and Cassandra almost can’t breathe. Her long hair cascades freely down her back and over one shoulder as she tucks a strand behind a sunkissed ear. 

“That was fast.”  _ Is she blushing? She can’t be, right? _

“I uh, hurried over,” Cass mumbles, holding out the lovingly crafted coffee. “Traffic just decided to buzz off too.” She earns a giggle at the statement as Rapunzel steps back into her office, but makes no move to see Cassandra off.

“Then I suppose I should thank the city for being too busy for cars today,” Her voice is a ray of warmth over the room, and Cassandra feels the spot behind her ribs twinge with a familiar want. 

“Sounds like a feat.” She replies, stepping into the office slowly.  _ Is she flirting? This has to be flirting right? _ It’s the wrong question to ask herself because she feels her palms grow warm and clammy. 

“I’m sure I could manage, to get to see you so soon.” Heavy lashes flutter and emerald eyes stare directly into steel gray. “And for the coffee.”

Something in Cassandra short-circuits. Heat streams through her body and out through moist hands directly into Rapunzel’s computer. The screen buzzes out, and every computer and light on the floor follows. There’s a soft tingle in her limbs, from her knees and her elbow down, as she realizes this was  _ just another superpower _ . Raps moves out of the office to flick a nearby light-switch, but nothing happens and she grumbles. 

A soft hand tickles her bent elbow, startling the nervous barista. “I hate to make you leave so soon, after everything you’ve done-”

Cass laughs nervously, lightly pressing her elbow more firmly into a freckled hand. The warmth soothes the soft vibrations under her skin, but her heart continues to hammer in her chest. “No worries Raps. Some other time maybe?” She wants to push the implication, let Rapunzel know what she means. 

“Yes. Some other time would be lovely.” In the darkness, she squeezes Cassandra’s arm lightly, before tugging her towards the emergency stairs. “I can walk you down-”

“That’s okay,” Cassandra tries to shake the flush off her cheeks as she steps into the emergency lighting of the staircase. “You have work to do, I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”

She makes it down one flight of stairs and looks up. Raps is still there with a soft smile and a gentle wave. Cass returns both and hurries down the remaining stairs. 

* * *

The ride back to the shop is full of self-doubt and shouts of anger. Her veins are ice, but a volcano erupts in her chest, boiling blood and bone beneath molten wrath. The first time she has a chance to  _ really communicate _ with Raps and her newly acquired superpowers go nuts! Her life just can’t be easy, can it?

As she pulls into the parking lot of  _ Moon-Drop _ something brown and green catches her eye, followed by the sound of Varian yelling.

“Stop! That ass hole just robbed us!” The teen shouts, flustered, and winded. Cass can see the kid’s eye, painted purple and black above a bloodied lip.

Another surge of anger presses into her lungs, heavy like lead. She tugs a ski-mask from the inside pocket of her moped’s saddlebags and pulls it over her head and takes off. 

It’s surprisingly easy to catch up to the thief. She wonders if her super-strength has any effect on her stamina as she lunges at the masked man. He dodges with a shout, “Crazy bitch!” And leaps up a fire escape along the side of a nearby apartment building. Cass pulls herself up the outside of the escape, but the taller man is able to maneuver faster through the traditional stairs. 

All at once, Cass remembers the gadgets at her wrists and takes a deep breath. With a balanced leap, she shoots one line of web and swings around the side of the building. Her momentum brings her back up, and she uses it to run along the side of the building into another leap. She flails slightly in midair but manages to land in a stumbling slide in her worn-down sneakers. She’s not even breathing heavy. No, instead, she feels great, like the cool fall of the city is seeping into her overheated skin and stabilizing her volatile mood.

She can hear the thief clambering up the final unstable bits of metal. With a running start, she shoots a web out from either wrist and slams a full forced kick into the rising chest of her thief. She releases her hold on the webs, shooting several more quick shots into the man’s chest, sticking him to the opposite apartment wall as she snatches the offender’s pillowcase out of the air and rolls into a landing. A woman peaks from a nearby window and gasps at the flailing man.

“Sorry about that ma’am!” Cass yells to the frazzled woman. “If you could please call the police and tell them you have a thief trapped to the wall of your apartment!” With that, she takes off back to the cafe.

* * *

She shoves the make-shift bag into Varian’s hands with a shaky laugh. The teen gapes at her, looking from his friend towards the direction she jogged from. “Did you?”

“Yes!” Her voice is misty and breathless. “And I want to do it again Var! I  _ can _ do this!” She’s snowfall in winter, cool and refreshing, but for the first time in a long time, Cassandra shines like the sun. 


	3. Chemicals React

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rapunzel’s eyes widen, but before Cassandra can backpedal she smiles. “I’d love that.”
> 
> “Yeah?” She’s sure it’s impossible to feel half as happy as she does. Her chest swells with joy, warm and sunny like the first signs of summer on a beach. “How about this weekend? Friday night?” She was off early on Fridays and there was an excuse if Raps wasn’t having a good time since they both worked that morning. 
> 
> Another tightness fills her chest as Raps squeezes her hand softly, “I’m free.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little shorter than usual, but it was that or take longer and make it way longer. Though some might prefer that, but I wanted to get this chapter out of the way.

**CHAPTER THREE**

_ You make me feel out of my element _ _   
_ _ Like I'm driftin' out to the sea _ _   
_ _ Like the tide's pullin' me in deeper _ _   
_ _ Makin' it harder to breathe _

Chemicals React by Aly and AJ

Three weeks of spider-training on top of a forty-hour workweek should really do more to dampen her mood but Cassandra is  _ thriving _ . Early morning jogs-er  _ swings _ , to get used to her newfound means of travel, followed by work and afterward,  _ patrol _ . The whole ordeal has her smiling like she’s on top of the world. Not even Andrew’s constant advances can dim her sunny mood. 

_ “C’mon Cassie, just one dinner. You’ll love it, I promise. _

_ “After all we’ve been through? You don’t wanna eat one meal with me?” _

_ Can’t you see how rich I am?” _

He’s persistent, but she continues to roll her eyes at his retreating back and exchange funny faces with Varian as he displays his pomp and arrogance. 

The only thing better than spider-duty, (They’ve yet to think of a proper name for her new vigilante persona, but they’re working on it!) is her morning deliveries to  _ Sundrop _ . After the disastrous  _ power outage _ incident, Cassandra had been nervous about being around her freckled drop of sunlight, but the following week she arrived with a carton of usuals and was greeted by sunlight and stars when Raps opened her office door. 

_ “Cass! I’m so glad I caught you!” _

_ “I’m sorry about last week.” _

_ “I love talking to you.” _

She’s on her way to the media outlet for another early morning delivery on a chilly Monday in November, and traffic is  _ terrible _ . She considers hiding her bike and taking the rooftops, but decides against it as the light at 14th and Summerset turns green. Sparkling green eyes glitter and gleam behind her eyes and she hums along to the low drum of music in her helmet.  _ Thank you, Varian. _

“Mornin’ Cassandra!” Lance greets her with a smile and a wave, passing her temporary badge under the plexiglass of his security booth. “How have you been?”

They don’t usually talk, but she shrugs with a laugh as she pins the purple badge to her coat. “Can’t complain too much.”

“I hear ya!” His boisterous laughter follows her up the hallway and into the elevator as she continues to hum along with the song she’d just been listening to. 

Monday mornings were the most hectic for the small periodical, deadlines were up and projects were due. Cassandra offers a sympathetic smile to a few of her other regulars but makes a beeline for Rapunzel’s office. The door is ajar, and the staccato of the blonde’s keyboard fills the air. A soft knock draws emerald eyes away from her computer screen to steely gray.

“ _ Cass. _ ” It’s breathy, almost relieved, as she lays eyes on the smirking barista. “My hero.” Cassandra chuckles, offering the steaming coffee to the frazzled woman.

“Not a hero, just a coffee delivery woman, at your service.” As Rapunzel takes the cup, Cass offers a light bow with an easy flourish. 

Her response is a giggle, soft like a song in the distance that Cass can’t help but hum along to. “My coffee delivery hero. You saved my morning, as usual.” She reaches out cautiously to slide sunkissed fingers into Cassandra’s still warm palm. “What would I do without you?”

With her heart stuttering into a heavy drumline in her chest, Cass looks into pools of honest green, and for once, everything feels right. The stars have aligned, the clouds have parted, and the sun beams against her skin, warmth wrapped in the sky’s blessing. “Probably the same thing, just a little slower.” She mumbles, feeling too close and too far away from the smiling woman. “But if you were up to it, maybe we could grab dinner- or lunch… Sometime?” 

Rapunzel’s eyes widen, but before Cassandra can backpedal she smiles. “I’d love that.”

“Yeah?” She’s sure it’s impossible to feel half as happy as she does. Her chest swells with joy, warm and sunny like the first signs of summer on a beach. “How about this weekend? Friday night?” She was off early on Fridays and there was an excuse if Raps wasn’t having a good time since they both worked that morning. 

Another tightness fills her chest as Raps squeezes her hand softly, “I’m free.”

Fumbling with her phone, Cass offers the device to Rapunzel with a sheepish smile. “Here, I can pick you up? Or-uh, yeah! I can pick you up!” She’ll have to talk to Varian about her scooter, maybe they could make it more presentable before Friday comes around. Rapunzel smiles like Cassandra hangs the stars at night and the dark-haired woman nearly shutters at the heat behind those forest green eyes. 

“I can’t wait.” As she hands the battered device back to Cassandra, Rapunzel presses a soft kiss to a pale cheekbone, and Cassandra’s breath catches in her throat. “Hopefully I can hear from you this time.” She giggles as she leans back against her desk, and Cassandra can feel her newly acquired  _ bioelectricity _ tickling her fingertips.

“Me either.” She answers honestly, whispering the statement as she steps out of the office. She bumps into a brunette woman who scoffs and growls as she shoves past, but Raps laughs, and Cass offers one in return. “I should get going- uh- have a good day!” As she scurries into the elevator, Cass looks down at her phone. In her phone is a new contact,  **Raps** , and it’s already favorited.

* * *

Back at the coffee shop, she gushes to Varian, reflecting the smile Rapunzel offered her as she left her office. The teen is smiling, kicking his legs from his seat on the counter.

“She said she’d  _ love _ to, Var! Love! I think I have a real chance!” She’s breathless, still wearing her dark blue hoodie from her delivery. 

“So no training Friday then?” He hops off the counter as their headsets beep and greets the customer with a cheerful tone. “Moon-drop cafe, what can I get started for you?” The speaker buzzes to life and their customer gruffs out an order that Cass starts to make with a hum. 

“I think we stick to training in the morning for a few days, but I did have a little, teeny-tiny, minuscule, favor for you.” Varian rolls his eyes as he tells the gentleman at the drive-through window his total.

The window shuts with a click, he calculates the change in his head and reaches for the already made coffee from his friend. The customer thanks him with a light huff and drives off, obviously irritated by something other than the small coffee shop. “What would that be, oh spider warrior?”

“Can you help me make my moped a little more presentable?” She smiles a little bashfully, cautious of asking the teen for more after all he’s done for her.

“Yeah, I can help.” He replies with a smile, “But you have to help me with something too.”

“You got it, kid, anything. 

* * *

_ Anything _ turned out to be a little more than she wanted to pursue. Varian’s request was  _ simple _ in theory; one of the kids that bullied him before he graduated stole something from him, something important, and he wanted her to get it back. What was stolen wasn’t anything irreplaceable, but it was a gift from the teen’s late mother when he was a child, and the memories attached to it were far more valuable than the device itself. 

Scaling the side of the designated apartment building, Cassandra is dressed in her makeshift hero costume; a pair of tights over long socks and a thermal shirt under a blue hoodie to keep herself warm in the cooling weather. When she reaches the window she tugs down her balaclava mask and sneaks through the unlocked window. Slowly, she sneaks across the ceiling. It’s late enough that everyone is asleep, and as long as she keeps quiet her task should be an easy one. 

It doesn’t take long to locate the bully’s room, tacky and covered in his high school sports team’s flags and posters. The kid is still awake, sitting on his computer with headphones on, playing some video game. She leans back on her heels, still stuck to the ceiling, and looks around. The device doesn’t immediately stand out, and after a second and third look, she’s still unable to locate it. That’s when the flash of light from the kid’s computer reflects across the room. Using her webs, Cass lowers herself to the floor and inspects the open backpack shoved near an overflowing closet. 

Among various unopened school books and very smelly socks, she locates the handheld gaming device. It’s a handheld game, very outdated for the time, but across the back of the small teal gadget reads  _ Varian _ in sloppy black permanent marker. She tucks it into her hoodie pocket and pulls herself back to the ceiling. As she moves there’s a tingle in the back of her mind, something dull but  _ loud _ . A soft cracking noise catches her attention, but before she can respond to anything a piece of the ceiling crumbles and releases her webbing, sending her plummeting to the ground. 

She stifles a yelp, but the teen still hears the sound of her body hitting the carpet in a low  _ thump _ . He stands and whirls around, headphones flying off as his computer chair falls backward. He stands there in shock, watching the intruder closely. The world seems to stop and Cassandra can see her future clearly. He’d call the police and she’d be arrested. Her father would see her in cuffs again, and he would again be disappointed in her. She’d have to explain to him why she was there, and it wouldn’t even matter. Worst of all, she’d probably be experimented on, since she had clearly been  _ hanging from the ceiling _ . 

She remembers her planned date with Rapunzel. She’d have to cancel, of course, inmates couldn’t leave jail for a date. Well- not normally. The conversation floods her senses; Raps would be disappointed, but not about the date, no she’d be disappointed in Cassandra. The prospect fills her with an icy cold dread like her heart was pumping ice into her veins.  _ No. Not like this _ . 

The teen steps forward, mouth opening to yell, but nothing happens. He looks from side to side, lunging for his lamp beside his desk. His breathing is quick and frantic as he looks around. 

“Show yourself!” He shouts as his eyes glance over Cassandra.  _ What? _ She holds a hand up and startles when she can’t see the limb. She whirls around and rushes into the hallway and out the window, not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Once out of the building she feels her adrenalin drain from her body. Her arms fall slack at her sides, holding herself against the outside of the building with her feet and back. “What the fuck was that?” She can see her hands now, but her body feels sluggish and tired. With a quick check, she locates Varian’s game still safe in her pocket and sighs. At least she got what she came for, and didn’t get arrested while doing so. 

“I’m going to need a fanny-pack to get this thing home safe.” She grumbles as she maneuvers back to the ground. She tugs her balaclava off and tucks it into her pocket. Behind a dumpster down the street, she withdraws a small backpack that contains her shoes and phone. She texts Varian that she’s picked up the groceries and is now on her way to his place. She debates swinging there, but her energy is drained, and she can feel the chill of the night seeping through her clothes.  _ I’m taking the train. _

* * *

“That’s at least three favors nerd,” Cass growls as she dumps the backpack onto Varian’s coffee table. He scrambles forward to catch the bag and opens it to withdraw the device. 

With a sigh, he holds it close to his chest and smiles up at his friend. “I’ll make it up to you Cass. Really.” She can see how much the present means to him and waves him off awkwardly. 

“Yeah, no problem squirt.” Silence stretches between them and Cass fidgets uncomfortably. “There’s uhhh… Another thing.” She rubs the back of her neck cautiously, “I may have gone invisible while in that kid’s place.

“You what?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pspspspspspspspsps next chapter is the date


	4. The Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Cass I don’t think-!”
> 
> “Just leave it in the alley Var, It’ll be quick.”
> 
> It was not quick.

**CHAPTER FOUR**

_ Call it dumb luck, but baby, you and I _ _  
_ _ Can't even mess it up, though we both try _ _  
_ _ No, it don't always go the way we planned it _ _  
_ _ But the wolves came and went and we're still standing _

The Bones by Maren Morris _feat. Hozier_

**Cass** : So I’ll pick you up around seven?

**Cass:** Crona Estates?

**Raps:** Yes!!! I’ll be ready for you! What’s the dress code?

**Cass:** Not too fancy, but not grungy. See you then.

Lounging across her bed Cass sighs. Their text conversation wasn’t charged with as much energy as when they’re together, but the whirlwind of butterflies in her chest hadn’t settled down since she opened that first message. Sure they’d known each other for a while now, but only on a professional basis. The idea that Raps  _ wanted _ to spend time with her was already enough to send her reeling, let alone the actual prospect. 

A light tone chimes from her phone and Cass takes a deep breath before checking this new message. 

**Var:** Ready for some swinging!!!!?

Rolling her eyes, Cass huffs as she lifts herself up and off her bed. She took a late morning, sleeping in to keep up her energy for the day, even if she didn’t have much trouble with that since her powers showed up. They had something around five hours before her date, so she could easily get some spider training done with Varian and still have time to clean up before her date. She types a quick response promising to meet Varian at Moon-Drop and dashes down the stairs. 

Sliding around the base of the stairs she nearly runs into her father, balding and stoic. “Woah there kiddo-” He huffs, touching Cassandra lightly on her arm. “What’s the hurry?”

“Sorry, dad!” She quips with a smile, returning his light touch with her own. “I have a date tonight, but I was planning on working out a bit beforehand, so I’m meeting Varian at the shop for a little jog.” There’s a playful smile across his face as he regards her, “What?” It’s rough and brittle, something guarded.

“Does this date have anything to do with a certain reporter-”

“I’m not answering that!” She groans, flushing as she shoulders past her dad as he laughs.

“Cassandra-!” She’s tugged roughly back in his arms for a warm hug that she instinctively relaxes into. “Have a good night okay?” It’s soft, whispered into her shoulder as he squeezes her one last time then releases her. “Let me know if you need anything.” 

Still slightly flushed she nods, “Yeah, ‘course dad.” 

The relationship she has with her dad is good. At one time it was rocky and bitter, two people who desperately wanted to connect but couldn’t for one reason or another. When she turned eighteen the differences came to a climax with her arrest by her very own father. Since then they’ve grown, talked it out, and worked on things. The daughter of the chief of police may have made a mistake, but she paid for it and their relationship grew from it. There was nothing that could make him mistrust her now, and Cassandra wouldn’t trade that trust for anything in the world. 

Scooping up her backpack, she turns towards her father to offer him a soft wave before making her way to the garage containing her moped. The last few days she and Varian had worked hard to make the scooter presentable. All scratches and dents had been worked out, and a smooth black paint job made it look sleek, despite its age. Cassandra’s favorite part, however, was something Varian surprised her with; a small, roughly painted, blue spider just under the left handle. 

In the approaching twilight, Cass turns up the music filtering into her helmet from her phone. The beat is somber and soft, and it relaxes her. As she tunes out the world around her she focuses only on her usual path to work, and the mellow music in her ears. 

She auto-pilots through the winding streets, thinking of blond hair and sunkissed skin, peppered in light freckles. Her thoughts wind, wrapping around the visage of a woman she’s dreamed about more than any other, and that beautiful smile she offers even someone like Cassandra. Tanned hands press into pale, fingers entwined, pressed flush in the light of a full moon. She thinks of lips, pink like strawberry candies and just as sweet. How would they taste? Would they hold the flavors from dinner?  _ Rapunzel smiles underneath the moonlight, bathed in the reflection of the sun the moon feels fit to supply, if only for her. Not even the moon could deny her the light of the sun, would never. Any gods above would forbid it.  _

_ Hungry hands press slim hips into rough brick, inciting a soft gasp and a playful giggle. Equally hungry lips search the warm skin at the junction of neck and shoulder, and the woman beneath her shutters. “Want to take this inside?” _

The screech of a horn has Cassandra breaking roughly, stalled in the middle of an intersection with a glaring red light above her head. A man in a faded tan sedan honks again, and she huffs, flipping him the bird before accelerating across the crossroads.

Varian is waiting outside of Moon-Drop when she pulls in, still flustered from her thoughts, and the incident with the man in the tan car.

“The traffic bad?” The teen comments curiously, offering his friend a small bag and a water bottle filled with a strange purple liquid. 

“Something like that.” She grumbles in response, passing a wary glance towards the strange liquid. “What’s that?”

With a hopeful smile, Varian passes the bottle to Cassandra, “It’s like a home-brew sports drink. Just chug it.”

She uncaps the bottle and wrinkles her nose at the smell, “ _ Just drink it, Cassandra _ .” She mimics with a frown. With a swift movement, she chugs the beverage, nearly gagging as the bottle is emptied. The flavor wasn’t worse than the smell, but it’s bitter against her tongue and coats her mouth. “ _ Bleh… _ ”

“Wow. Now that was impressive.” 

“I don’t want to think about it anymore.” She huffs, wheezing through her open mouth. “What next? Acrobatics time?” She can’t help feeling excited, the thrill of swinging through the streets and across the building gaps, her adrenalin humming in her head. 

“Not yet.” Varian has that look on his face, the one that says he’s excited but cautiously so. “I’ve done some changes to your web-shooters.” 

“Changes how?” She’s skeptical and maybe a little nervous. Varian’s gadgets weren’t always the most functioning, or even the most useful, and depending on the change, she may be more or less wary. 

“Nothing big, just made them smaller and easier to manage.” He presents the upgraded gadgets with a smile and Cass slips them on. “Oh and I’m working on a more official suit, but I need you to test out the material.“

_ That explains the bag. _ The articles of clothing in the plastic grocery bag are a mismatch of black and silver, obviously, Varian had attempted to design something before deciding to test the fabric out. Stepping into an alley, she pulls the tight-fitting clothing on under her current hoodie and pants, cautious of any passersby. When she emerges she appreciates the design in the reflection of the coffee shop’s glass. Most of the outfit is black, with a silver spider across her right hip that wraps a spindly leg around her shoulders and hips. The mask itself is also black, with large silver eyes that she can see through surprisingly well. All things considered, she didn’t hate it. 

“Not bad Var.” Though he can’t see her face, he reflects her smile back at her.

“It’s just a trial suit, I still have to get the insolation down, but this had some bulletproof properties.”

“Like kevlar?” 

“Better.” Pride swells in his chest, she can tell, “Kevlar is more of a single-use fabric, meaning if you’re in a rough spot and get shot, you have to turn around, but we both know you won’t turn away from a fight.” Cassandra smile again, her own pride swelling in her own chest. “This fabric has mending properties, so it can repair itself, theoretically…”

_ “Theoretically? Varian- _ ”

“It’ll be fine! That’s why we’re testing it out today, and not in a real fight!” A small beep sounds inside the mask that cuts Cassandra off before she can respond again. “Other features in this suit!” He points to the sky excitedly, “The same bluetooth sensor as your helmet! So you can listen to your music on patrols, and I can communicate with you too!” The last part echoes through the small headset in either of her ears before the soft beat of her music filters through. 

“So now we just swing?” 

“Yeah, get a feel for the suit and the new web-shooters.” 

With a light crouch, Cassandra shoots both web-shooters towards the roof of a nearby building and yanks. Her body is propelled upwards with the force. She twists and pulls, shooting another string of web before she’s gained the momentum she needs to swing across the gap and up the next building. Another swing and she’s across a busy intersection, and every eye is on her for once. Feeling particularly flashy, she twists into a flip before dropping into another daredevil swing over traffic.  _ I’m never walking anywhere again! _ She shouts in her head, letting out a soft “ _ Whoop! _ ” between two towering apartment buildings.

After a few hours of acrobatics and death-defying stunts, she rolls to a stop near Rapunzel’s apartments. Her breathing is haggard and rough, but she feels exhilarated in a way she never thought possible. 

“ _ You’re date is soon right? Probably best to wrap it up for the night. _ ” She couldn’t agree more, but the night felt so  _ young _ , and she was starting to think she wasn’t the only one to think so. 

Across the street, she can clearly see two men tinkering with the window of a high-end apartment. Logically it could be a repairman, despite the fading sunlight, however, the men are dressed in all black, including a balaclava. “Hey, Var? I see something, can you bring my moped here?”

“Cass I don’t think-!”

“Just leave it in the alley Var, It’ll be quick.”

* * *

It was not quick. When Cassandra lands atop the railing of the fire escape the two men crouched along their response was to scatter like cockroaches. She had managed to catch one of the men, a ratty, greasy-looking man who panicked in the face of the lone spider, but the other man  _ was quick _ . He scaled down the fire escape and around a corner out of sight. Eventually, Cassandra caught him, tying him up with his accomplice outside the police department, but she ends up nearly 30 minutes late for her date.

Luckily for her, Rapunzel’s a forgiving goddess. She finds her scooter just around the corner from the blonde’s apartment building and slips her jeans and black button-up over her spider-suit, and slides a dark blue vest atop to pull the look together. She shows up at the door with a cautious smile but frowns when Raps doesn’t return it. Even frowning she takes Cassandra’s breath away, in her low cut purple sweater and light jeans. Her brown boots tap to an irritated beat that reminds Cass in her haze that she’s  _ in trouble _ .

“I’m  _ so _ sorry Raps! Something came up with my dad and I’m a little late!” It’s not  _ totally _ a lie. Her father was working tonight, and she  _ had _ dropped those thieves off at the police station. “I’m sorry I didn’t call.” That gets her a soft smile and a faux sigh.

“You’re lucky you’re beautiful Cass.” She laughs softly, dropping her hands from her stiff standoffish pose to reach for Cass’ own. But  _ beautiful? _ She thought Cass was  _ beautiful _ ? Sounds more like Cass was the lucky one. 

“I’m the lucky one.” She hums as Raps laughs and wraps her arms around Cass’s right.

“That too! So you better make it up to me!” She’s smiling like the sun never set, sending more butterflies through Cass with every step. “What’s on the agenda for the night?”

She’d been waiting for that! She may be late but her date plans would make up for that! “First dinner.” She offers a soft smile to her date and gets one in return. She feels more like the moon than ever that night, with Rapunzel’s sunlight reflected back. 

“Sounds good to me, I’m a big fan of food.” Everything hums between them, tangible but out of reach. 

“I thought you might be.”

Dinner is at a higher-end restaurant on the north side of town. Cass drives and basks in the feeling of Raps wrapped around her waist as she speeds there. She knows the host and manages to swindle her way into the best table in the joint, and 50% off their check. Conversation is light and relaxing, mostly focused on their days before it moves into more personal subjects. 

“Do you have any pets?” The blonde asks through a sip of wine. 

“Not really, unless you count Varian.” The statement makes herself laugh, which brings a smile to Rapunzel’s face as well. Her eyes soften as she looks at Cass, and the dark-haired woman tries and fails, not to blush. “He’s my coworker, and kinda my best friend.” She shrugs lightly and tries not to make eye-contact as she clears her throat. “What about you?”

The question lights another flame in Rapunzel who nearly squeals. “I have a dog named Max, very protective, and a chameleon, Pascal. They’re  _ my _ best friends.” She looks a little shy as she says it, flushing and looking away herself. “Is that weird?”

“I don’t think so.” Cass is sure her voice has never been so soft. She thought maybe it was  _ a little _ weird, but it was  _ cute _ .  _ Very cute _ . “I mean my best friend is a little squirt and a  _ big  _ nerd.”

Rapunzel laughs again, this time with more feeling, and like Apollo came down and stored the sun in her own chest,  _ she glows _ . “He sounds nice.”

Dinner goes off without a hitch, so they’re both all smiles and light flirting as they exit the restaurant. Rapunzel snuggles close to Cass with a light shiver, close enough that Cass can smell her lavender shampoo. “Where to next?”

“It’s a bit of a drive, but luckily I have a spare jacket.” 

It takes almost an hour outside of the city before Cass begins to see the flickering lights of far off stars. She knows the path better than she would like to admit, but she knows Rapunzel’s going to enjoy the view. There’s a small park about twenty minutes further into the farmlands of north Corona, and she parks in the small decrepit parking lot. She tugs Rapunzel off the scooter and across the darkened park. 

“ _ Shhhhh _ ,” She whispers, against a chase kiss as they begin climbing the winding branches of a tree that breaks open to a solid wood deck balanced against another large tree. The wooden deck has a small railing and a thin slide for a quick exit, and the women crawl over the last step before it plateaus. Cassandra opens her backpack and lays out a thick blanket and gestures for Rapunzel to sit down. Next, she removes two still cold boxes of milk and a package of store-bought cookies. “I’m not much for baking but,”

She’s rewarded with a smile that sparkles brighter than any star, and she decides it’s okay that she can’t bake, if only for that smile. With another easy gesture, she instructs Rapunzel to lay back and they both look at the sky. She almost checks her watch but sees the first slash of light across the sky. Raps gasps softly, reaching for Cass’ hand as the sky lights up with the soft burn of hundreds of meteors. 

Their milk and cookies are forgotten, but Cass remembers to press play on her phone, filling the silence of the night with a soundtrack as beautiful as the sky, and the woman she brought to see it. 


	5. Sunlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Quite a place for a gathering so late in the evening, don’t you think boys?” The first bank robber, standing guard at the opening of the safe turns towards her. The same sickening feeling of nausea and dread fills her head and chest and Cassandra shifts to dodge a gunshot she hadn’t seen coming. 
> 
> “What the fuck?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told y'all I wasn't done. I will say though, those of you who know me from my RWBY works may be aware that whiterose week is coming up, so I will be taking a bit of a break on this one to churn some other fics out, but I haven't left this one. I will be back. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, I had a very good time writing it!

**CHAPTER FIVE**

_ I would shun the light, share in evening's cool and quiet _ _   
_ _ Who would trade that hum of night? _ _   
_ _ For sunlight, sunlight, sunlight _ _   
_ _ But whose heart would not take flight? _ _   
_ _ Betray the moon as acolyte _ _   
_ _ On first and fierce affirming sight _ _   
_ _ Of sunlight, sunlight, sunlight _

Sunlight by Hozier

The drive back to town after the meteor shower is calm and quiet. Cass drives a little slower and lets Rapunzel wear her helmet for the music. It may be her imagination, but the shorter woman seems to hold her a little closer for the length of the ride. 

It’s nearly eleven when she parks her moped on the sidewalk in front of Rapunzel’s building. The blonde is slow to climb off the back, and when she does she keeps hold of Cass’s arm.

“I had a really good time tonight,” she hums, glowing in the low light of the street lights. “Even if you were late.”

Cassandra laughs and offers Raps a rare smile. “Thank you for forgiving me for that…” 

Gleaming emerald eyes crinkle with delight as Rapunzel returns her date’s smile. “I’m glad I did.”

Stories above, from an open window, is a loud bark. Rapunzel laughs, leaning into Cass as she rises from the moped. “Can I walk you inside?” 

The blonde leans further into her dark-haired companion and hums. “How about,” she steps away with another coy smile, “You and I take Max for a walk?”

Another bark sounds and Raps smiles bright and mischievous as she steps back towards the main entrance to her building, tugging Cassandra along.  _ How can I say no? _ “Yes.” She whispers like it’s a prayer, a plea, something to tether her to the earth lest she floats away in joy. “I’d love to.”

The smile that overtakes tanned freckled cheeks blooms the briar in her chest. Cass is  _ lightly dragged _ into the building’s elevator, and as the door closes Rapunzel grins playfully at her. “You’re going to love Max! He’s the best dog.” They’re dangerously close, nearly nose to nose as Rapunzel gushes about her pet. Cassandra gets distracted by the younger woman’s fluttering eyelashes and vibrant green eyes. The elevator dings and the dark-haired woman nearly jumps. The reaction rewards her with a playful giggle and another sunlit smile. “A little distracted tonight, Cass?”

She’s shifted to lean her shoulders against the wall of the elevator, hands still grasping Cass’s paler ones, but with her face further away so the taller woman can focus a little better. “Can you blame me?” she shutters out, following the curve of a playful smile back to glittering green.

Rapunzel tugs her playfully out the elevator and down the hall. Each door is a mirror of the next, but she can tell which one belongs to her date from down the hall. It’s a tunnel of deep browns till the last door on the right. It matches the deep browns around it, but expertly painted across the wood is a beautiful forest scene. Birds flitter almost lifelike, across the wood, and the leaves of the trees look real enough to touch. “ _ Wow. _ ”

“Do you like it?” Rapunzel is almost shy with the question, and it strikes Cass as odd. The shorter woman was lively and excitable. This was  _ new _ . 

“Raps… It’s beautiful.”

A nervous giggle draws her attention from the painting and Cass can see the soft flush across tanned cheeks. “It’s my little secret, but I love painting,” They’re not touching anymore, but Cass can still feel the other woman against her somehow. 

She turns her back to the door and pulls Rapunzel closer, adoring the still present flush across freckled cheeks. “I think that’s amazing. I couldn’t draw a double amputee stick figure.” She’s rewarded with a laugh as Raps leans against her. Cass realizes belatedly, that even the hallways in the apartment building are heated. That or whatever warmth that’s filled her chest has moved outwards through lungs and ribs to permeate the air. 

“So, Max?” Rapunzel murmurs, maybe a little too distracted by Cass’s lips.

“Who?

The blonde roars with laughter and presses her face into Cass’s shoulder to keep her tone down. “ _ My dog _ , Maximus.”

“Right, right. Just uhh… Keeping you on your toes.” She flashes a pair of finger guns and melts at another burble of laughter from the bubbly blonde. 

“Of  _ course _ .”

Sunkissed hands unfurl a jingling bundle that appears more keychain than keys as Rapunzel unlocks the door. Cass sees purple walls with more beautiful murals painted across them from floor to ceiling. A bark pulls her attention from the lightly furnished two-bedroom apartment to one of the largest dogs she’s ever seen. Suddenly Cass is  _ nervous _ . Dates weren’t  _ necessarily _ new to her, but  _ meeting friends _ or  _ family _ was, and what were pets if not just that? What if he didn’t like her? What if he liked her  _ too much _ . A thousand thoughts flood her head as she stares vacantly at the enormous white great dane holding his leash in his mouth across the room.

The lightest touch across pale knuckles brings her back to reality, blinking and  _ worried _ . “He’s very sweet,” Raps says softly holding Cass’s hand as she gestures Max closer. “Just a big softy, I promise.” Cass nods, still more nervous than she’d like to say. When the canine is a few feet in front of them Raps crouches and tugs Cass down with her. The heavy emotion that has wrapped around the would-be hero’s heart lifts at the wide brown eyes Max levels at her. There’s a breath, chuffed, as he stands and sniffs at her face and hands. His whip-wire tail waves lazily as he plops back to the ground and smiles towards Rapunzel.

“He likes you!” She cheers with her sunrise smile. “I knew he would!” Cassandra chuckles low as she stands, hiding her nerves in a tense shrug. “Let me grab his leash and we can head out!”

A horror movie scream plays low from Cassandra’s jacket pocket and Rapunzel raises a brow towards her. The scream replays and the dark-haired woman huffs as she pulls out her phone. “It’s Varian, one sec.” Raps smiles and points to the small balcony that overlooks the street. “What’s up Var?” 

The line buzzes faintly, something Cassandra only started noticing after her episode at Rapunzel’s office.  _ “How was your date?” _

“Still on it.” She leans lazily against the railing of the balcony with a smile, but Varian clears his throat. 

_ “For how much longer?” _

“I don’t know Var,” her tone comes off sharp, but she’s not sorry for it. “This is Rapunzel we’re talking about. I’ve wanted this date for-I don’t know.  _ Forever _ .”

_ “I know, I know.”  _ He sounds sorry and Cass sighs.

“Why do you ask?” Through the glass door, Cassandra watches Rapunzel talk animatedly to Max. As she feeds her chameleon, she flutters to and fro, a physical representation of sunlight and spring. 

_ “It’s nothing…” _

“Somehow I doubt it.” Varian shifts on the other line, and Cass rolls her eyes. 

With a huff, Varian relents, _ “It’s dad. It’s his day off and he got called in for extra security.” _

“Yeah? That happens sometimes, why are you worried?” Across the street, a door slams and Cassandra watches a teenager huddle into their coat as a sleek silver vehicle slows to a stop to let them in. 

_ “Well, he left in a hurry, almost forgot his badge… I think something big is going down.” _ Varian sounds more and more worried as he continues, the soft waver in his voice becoming more and more like a quiver. 

“What makes you think that?”

There is a pause, followed by shuffling and the scratch of a police radio. _ “I was curious, so I made a police scanner.” _

She smiles, “Of course you did. Could buy one, but instead, you make one.”

_ “I don’t understand the codes, but there are a lot of cops moving towards downtown.” _

Cassandra rubs her neck with a sigh, “Var-”

_ “Your dad is there.” _ Lightning shoots through her spine, sparking at her hands and her phone beeps like it does when it’s fully charged. There’s a sickness that sinks into her gut, and her vision blurs at her periphery. There’s an overwhelming feeling of dread that sinks into her bones and blood, a warning igniting in her body.

Cassandra pauses with a sigh, “How bad do you think it is?” Her hands shake. 

_ “There are reports of gunshots.” _

“I’m on my way.”

Stepping back through the door, Cassandra clatters, pushing with just a little too much force. Rapunzel almost jumps, looking worriedly towards her. 

“I’m sorry. I-” In an instant, Raps is at her side. Tan hands cup pale cheeks and Cass feels the panic leave her like the breath that seeps from her lungs. “There’s a family emergency. I have to go, but I want to see you again.” The words fall out before Cass can stop herself. “If that’s okay.”

“It’s more than okay.” Raps hums, leaning up to press a soft kiss to open lips. “You have my number.”

“I do.”

“And I’ll see you Monday? For the delivery?” It’s playful as she scratches Cassandra’s jawline lightly. 

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” She presses another kiss to Rapunzel’s lips, pulling the other woman closer before stepping away. “I’ll text you tonight.”

“I can’t wait.”

Cautious of neighbors, Cassandra leaps down the stairs with skills she’s only had for a few weeks. She bounds from walls to floor, and out the front door onto her scooter. At this time of night, there’s no one on the road, but her drive is still much slower than she would like. She parks just outside Moon-Drop and strips her date clothes for her sheer black spider-suit. She pops the bluetooth headset into one ear and tugs her mask over her face. The lenses flare to life and the world is tented green.

She shoots two webs and swings herself into the air. Gracefully, she flips in the air and whips another web forward. She swings through town and arrives at the bank tower Quirin works security for. Stopping two buildings away, she watches the patrol cars as they shine spotlights into the building. 

_ “Come out with your hands up, and we can talk about this.” _ An officer shouts through a loudspeaker, towards the building.

A familiar electric buzz warns her before Varian speaks.  _ “At least one gunman, two guards are being held hostage.” _

“Quirin?”

_ “Yeah.” _ He sighs.

“Some guards.”

_ “There’s an entrance on the roof you should be able to short circuit.” _

Cassandra groans, swinging towards a darkened spot on the building and crawling upwards. “ _ Short circuit _ , you’re assuming that I can manage that on command.”

_“You can do it, Cass.”_ _You have to do it_. Rings loud and clear in her head. 

Once on the roof, the wind pushes her up and over the ledge. The entrance Varian mentioned is connected to a keypad with a ten-key backlit by flickering green. “Just a little juice, I can do it. No  _ pressure _ .”

_ “Your gloves will conduct the flow evenly through your palm.” _

“Gee, thanks.” She huffs, rubbing her hands together.

She takes another deep breath and presses her hands to the keypad. The wind whirls and she shivers against it. Time ticks by but nothing happens. No electricity sparks from her fingertips. No wave or surge floods through her, just another warning from the police on the other side of the building, and the whisper of the wind. 

_ “Cass-” _

“I’m  _ trying _ , Varian.” She hisses, worry filling her chest with a frost. She was so warm and happy just an hour ago, and now- A spark. Nothing big, the keypad flickers once but returns to its dulled state soon after. 

_ “What was that?” _

“I-”

_ “The system flickered. Was that you?” _

“I think so.” She takes another deep breath and pulls on the emotions that have filled her most of the night. Rapunzel’s soft smile, and the feel of her hands, her lips. Warmth surges through her chest. Inside her, a spark ignites, something more powerful than she’d touched on before. Her eyes light up, a glow she can  _ feel _ as her emotions swell. She pushes outwards, pushing the warm buzzing in her chest towards her shoulder, and down her arm into her hand, and- Blue sparks burst from her hands and the door’s keypad fizzles and bursts into its own shower of sparks that lurches the door open as the lights go out.

_ “Cass?” _

“I did it!!” She cheers, just above a whisper, nearly jumping with joy. “I’m gonna save your dad Var.”

There’s no answer as she rushes in. It’s a big building, one she’s never navigated before, but she’s able to sneak her way up walls and across ceilings into the save the three bank robbers have the two guards. 

“There’s three of them.” She whispers, low enough that the thieves can’t hear above the buzz of the power grid trying to pull itself back up. 

_ “That explains how they took down two guards.” _

“Why are there only two guards tonight?” It didn’t make sense. If Quirin was called in as back-up, why was only one guard scheduled in the first place? “Contact the police. This was an inside job.”

_ “Cass wait! What are you-” _ She silences the headset and drops from the ceiling soundlessly. The criminals don’t see her yet, but she takes a deep breath and walks forward. 

“Quite a place for a gathering so late in the evening, don’t you think boys?” The first bank robber, standing guard at the opening of the safe turns towards her. The same sickening feeling of nausea and dread fills her head and chest and Cassandra shifts to dodge a gunshot she hadn’t seen coming. 

“What the fuck?” He stares at his gun and points it at her again, and the same feeling fills the vigilante. She follows the feeling into another smooth dodge, and another as the fiend fires off three more rounds. She ends up hanging from the ceiling again.

“Look what you’ve done now. You’ve waisted four whole bullets and I just wanted to talk.” The man is shaking, staring up at her from his post outside the safe.

Soon enough the other two men rush outside to gape up at her. They’re all wearing balaclava and night vision goggles, but are only armed with and guns.  _ They didn’t intend to get caught, not  _ **_that_ ** _ underprepared.  _

“Make one more move and we’ll shoot the hostages.” None of the men are looking at Quirin and his fellow guard, but their tone is deadly serious. Cassandra glances towards them to assess any wounds. Quirin is awake, wide-eyed, and furious behind a broken nose, and his comrade is out cold. 

“There’s no need for that fellas.” She hops down again, startling all three men. Beneath her mask, she smiles. A dark figure in an empty building is startling enough, but one who could dodge bullets and hang from the ceiling? She was going to enjoy this. 

A single step forward has the men pointing their guns towards Quirin and the other guard, but a follow-up step has them shifted towards Cassandra again.  _ That’s right boys, all eyes on me _ . A quick flip sens a rippled gasp across all five men guards included, and Cass shoots a solid web at the closest guard’s gun. It’s yanked from his hands, and with a heavy swing, the gun becomes her own weapon. She whips it in a circle around their heads and slams the blunt object into its owner’s head. 

The other two men lurch forward, diving away from another vicious swing, and Cass shoots a few bursts of webs at the downed man. The remaining men converge on her, but she catches them both by the chest and smiles beneath her mask. “G’night boys.” She chirps, before surging another blast of bioelectricity from each hand and sending the men backward. 

Blue lightning arcs from their lightly twitching bodies, but upon quick inspection, the robbers are simply knocked out. She secures them next to their cohort and attends to Quirin and the other guard. 

“What  _ are you _ ?” He whispers, his gruff voice familiar and soothing. 

“Just a harmless vigilante,” Cassandra replies as she unties them and steps back. “I should be going though.” Another set of awkward finger guns and she dashes away, up the adjoined staircase and out into the cool night air. 

* * *

Back at Moon-Drop Cassandra pulls off her mask and video-calls Varian. The teen is worried then startled, but Cassandra spews the events of the last several minutes.  _ “Are you feeling okay?” _

“Better than okay! Why do you ask?” She watches in awe as Varian points his phone towards a nearby mirror, showing what he can see on his end. She’s smiling and vibrant, more so than usual, due to her glowing blue hair and eyes. “What?”

As her smile drops, she watches as the color slowly fades. Her hair returns to her normal dark curls and her eyes fade back to their natural steely gray.  _ “Looks like we’ve got a color scheme for your official costume,” _ Varian chuckles, as he angles the phone back to his face.  _ “Get home safe Cass. Oh, and thanks.” _

She ends the call with a quiet thumbs-up and shuffles back to her moped. The night had taken a lot out of her, in more ways than one, and she was ready for bed. Her phone chimes as she settles down on the scooter’s seat, and she lazily opens it. It’s a message from Rapunzel that says goodnight, with another bout of thanks. Attached is a photo of the blonde, her hair splayed about behind her head as she lays cuddled up with Max on a thick purple comforter. She’s smiling coyly, dressed in a simple nightgown that shows off long tanned legs kicked out above her, and Cass’s mouth goes dry. It was hard to be mad about leaving her date early when she’d saved her best friend’s dad’s life, but somehow she still had the energy to be just a little grumpy about it. 

_ Goodnight Raps. See you soon. _

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this please leave me a comment, and consider following me on tumblr, twitter, or Instagram @gaymerkree.
> 
> See you next time!


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